


Let Me Be Your Pylades

by Anonymous



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Age Regression, Caregiver Triss, Caregiver!Jaskier, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Jaskier is supportive, Little Yennefer, Little bit of angst, Little geralt, Little!Geralt, M/M, Modern AU, No Beta, Non-Sexual Age Play, Some depictions of child abuse, Therapy, Trauma, Triss is a good friend, Valdo Marx is a dick, We die like Stregobor should have, We stan good mental health, Whole Lotta Fluff, Yennefer is a good friend, caregiver jaskier, some discussion of child abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:35:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28061037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Geralt is finally dating his best friend Jaskier after years of friendship. He's on good terms with Yennefer. He's even in therapy. And it is his therapist who suggests Geralt consider age regressing or 'being little' to help heal from his traumatic childhood, and then Triss suggests Jaskier as a caregiver. Can they work together to be the healing opportunity the other person needs?
Relationships: Aiden/Lambert (The Witcher), Eskel (The Witcher)/Original Character(s), Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion, Triss Merigold/Yennefer z Vengerbergu | Yennefer of Vengerberg
Comments: 19
Kudos: 108
Collections: Anonymous





	1. A Sinking Feeling...Ha...Get it? Sink-ing Feeling? Ha!

**Author's Note:**

> Title comes from the following exchange from Euripides: 
> 
> Plylades: "I'll take care of you."
> 
> Orestes: "It is rotten work."
> 
> Pylades: "Not to me. Not if it is you."
> 
> First time writing about Littles and caregivers, if I get something wrong please let me know, also let me know if you have any suggestions for situations or prompts for our dear friends. 
> 
> First chapter is background set up but we'll get into the meat of it soon!
> 
> Be well, dear readers!

“I just don’t see why this is such a big deal, Geralt,” Yenn sighed heavily, turning to her wine glass in comfort. She eyed the hulking human personification of angst and self-loathing occupying the space under her sink. Geralt had burst into her home with a perfectly functional sink just minutes after his weekly therapy session had ended, rusted red toolbox in hand and buried himself under the sink, only a strip of muscled skin at his waist and his old light wash jeans visible as he tinkered about for distraction. Begrudgingly, the explanation for his panic had come out in bits and pieces, grumbled and grunted from the safety behind several cleaning products and an old handle-less bucket. 

“I have to agree with Yenna, darling,” Triss offered breezily as she swept into the room and a riot of loose vibrant silks, her skirt twisting a bit at the ankles and the sleeves exposing most of her sun tanned arms until they cinched at the wrist. Yennefer often joked that her partner dressed like she was going to tell fortunes or go dancing barefoot in a meadow. Key phrase being ‘Yennefer joked’, as anyone else who made an even vaguely mocking comment about any aspect of Triss was often left trying to dodge pointed projectiles.

“Plenty of people age regress, for a wide variety of reasons. It can have physical, mental, and emotional benefits and trying it is nothing to be ashamed of,” Triss continued calmly, pouring two glasses of iced tea, one for herself and one for the man hiding in her cabinetry. 

“And isn’t one of the reasons you chose and kept Dr. Nenneke because she has unconventional solutions and calls you on your shit?” added Yennefer dryly. “Besides she suggested it, it’s not like she demanded it. And I can certainly see the logic behind her suggestion.”

She could practically hear the arching of Geralt’s disturbingly expressive eyebrows as he fiddled with whatever was keeping his large anxious hands busy. Triss sighed and bent down, offering the glass to Geralt by setting it gently on his pecs, as it seemed unlikely he’d be coming out any time soon. 

“For a lot of people it’s about getting the love and care you need, especially if you didn’t get it at a young age. And from what little you’ve told us about growing up, it does seem like you are owed a fair amount of nurturing and caring, Geralt,” she offered sweetly, meeting his eyes for a moment to try to convey her sincerity, before patting his knee and getting up to join Yennefer at their kitchen table. 

“And it’s not always a sex thing either, despite what you may have heard,” Yennefer offered, chuckling when her pronouncement was followed by Geralt jerking his head up and slamming it directly into the metal bottom of the sink. 

“Serves you right for hiding down there,” came her deeply unsympathetic response, gleefully refilling her glass while Triss tutted at her. Whatever, Yennefer had never claimed to be the nice one in this relationship. 

Admitting defeat, or at the very least, terrible head pain, Geralt slunk out of the under the sink cabinets and settled on the floor, leaning back to stare at the ceiling. “Dr. Nenneke explained all the reasons she thinks it would help. They’re good reasons. But I’m a grown man, I don’t know how I’m supposed to...supposed to what? Pretend to be a little kid? Play with toys? I can’t. With the anxiety, with the emotional repression stuff...I don’t think I can.” he admitted. 

Triss got down on the floor next to him, not touching him as she was conscious sometimes touch could be more hurtful than helpful when it came to Geralt. “It can seem intimidating. But I promise it can be worth it. Did the doctor mention caregivers?”

Geralt sighed, fished for the iced tea he’d left under the sink and took a long sip.”Yeah, she talked about that. Got all cryptic at the end though. Said I already had someone in my life who might make a good caregiver. Don’t know who.”Geralt shrugged, setting the glass down so he could twist his fingers around each other in anxiety. 

Yennefer and Triss shared a meaningful look that Geralt couldn’t decipher. Of course he was very aware at this point that his grasp on emotions was weak and tenuous at best.. ‘If you can’t recognize feelings in yourself, how can you hope to recognize them in other people?” Nenneke had posed to him several sessions ago. 

“I think I know who she’s talking about,” Triss hedged carefully. “A caregiver needs to be someone you trust implicitly. Someone you can be vulnerable with, and know that you will not be judged. Who genuinely cares about you as a person and wants what is best for you,” she began, looking again at Yennefer, who gave a sharp decisive nod. 

“Someone like Jaskier maybe.”

Geralt jerked away in shock, eyes moving rapidly across Triss’s face and then at Yennefer. “No. No way. We’ve only been dating for three months!” he argued, trying to take deep breaths at the fear that pulsed through his veins at the notion of not only trying this age regression thing, but getting his boyfriend directly involved.

“Yes, but you’ve been best friends for twenty years and desperately flirting for at least half that time,” Yennefer drawled with an eye roll. “The idiot has been in love with you since you were 13 years old. He practically bleeds love every time he says your damn name. Is there anyone else you can trust as much as him? Anyone you’d even attempt vulnerability for?” she demanded, standing before him with perfectly manicured violet nails on her hips.

Geralt was silent, trying to process it. It was true that Jaskier had been his best friend for most of his life, and that these three months of actually being in an official relationship had been the best of his life. After, Jaskier was part of why he’d finally broken down and tried therapy in the first place. He got tired of letting his past experiences and bad habits rule his life and allow him to hurt the person who loved him so freely and openly. 

And therapy really had helped, even if sometimes he left frustrated and angry, and sessions could be uncomfortable and painful. He did feel better in the long run, and it had helped having Dr. Nenneke who was witty, kind, and honest. She sincerely wanted to be of help and wanted his success, but never bullshit him with sugary platitudes. 

He’d noticed changes in his interaction with his friends and family as well, small changes mostly but all good changes. Things were better. Jaskier made things better, and was supporting Geralt’s attempts at making himself better. 

“It’s too much to ask of him,” he rasped, feeling more than a bit raw. Jaskier had suffered his own painful childhood, albeit in a different way, and had disastrous self-care and self-esteem. Jaskier struggled with his own issues, and still was an amazing and supportive friend. He was always there for Geralt and his other friends any day, any time, for anything. 

Triss and Yennefer seemed to be having yet another silent conversation, this one far more intense and with some serious disagreements if Yennefer’s pinched frown and furrowed brows as any indication. Triss just seemed more pleading. Ignoring what was likely Yennefer’s disapproval, Triss slowly turned back to Geralt. 

“It...it might actually be good for him,” she began and Yennfer angrily drank her wine. If pressed, Geralt would struggle to explain just how a person could drink wine angrily, but somehow the powerhouse lawyer glaring across the room at her girlfriend managed it. 

“See, Jaskier has been a caregiver before. He and I met that way, we both were caregivers to two littles who knew each other and had playdates together. Jaskier...he glowed with happiness. He adored being able to love and care for someone like that and he lived for that feeling of being important and needed,” she went on. 

Geralt didn’t know how to respond, shocked into his usually preferred silence. “He never said…” he tried to begin, but gave up. Triss nodded and frowned. “It was more during the time when uh...when you two were having some distance because uh…” the florist struggled to politely explain for a bit before Yennefer had enough. 

“It was when you and I had those disastrous attempts at dating and then being friends with benefits, and nearly ruined any relationship platonic or otherwise with Jaskier,” she snapped, glaring at him once more. It was a familiar look, particularly from the time period she was referencing. 

Their romantic relationship had been the personification of self-destruction. They’d needed time apart to heal after it finally ended for good, and now Yennefer and Triss were two of his closest friends besides his brothers. And no one had been happier than Geralt when Yennefer had admitted to their small close group that she intended to ask Triss to marry her. 

Similarly, despite the constant sniping back and forth, Yennefer secretly adored Jaskier and had told Geralt she was so happy he’d finally gotten his head out of his ass and found his true love. And really, wasn’t that a testament to Triss’s calming influence that THE Yennefer Vengerberg was using phrases like ‘true love’ unironically. 

Triss sighed in relief when that didn’t spark an argument or prompt Geralt to run away (see,  
progress!) and continued. “It made him feel good, is what I am getting at. Age regression has benefits but so does caregiving. It’s so rewarding. I haven’t done it in a while and neither has Jaskier but if you asked him I think he’d be thrilled.”

Geralt finally reached out and took Triss upturned palm and held on, needing an anchor point. It was a lot to take in. The idea of trying age regress, learning Jaskier had been a caregiver, and somehow asking Jaskier to be a caregiver for him. 

“Don’t overthink it you big idiot!” Yennefer offered in her usual helpful and insulting manner. Alright. Alright. Don’t overthink it. Don’t overthink it and remain calm.

The delicately carved blue front door slammed open and rattled the hinges as well as the walls and windows. Jaskier stumbled into the room, barely breathing and panicked. “Have you seen Geralt?! He never came home after therapy and he isn’t answering his phone and I’ve been driving around and I can’t find him oh my God...Geralt?”


	2. Talk It Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt comes to a decision and practices sharing what he is feeling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter here and some nice dicussions. I wanted Geralt to get to ease into things a little, so the plan is in the next chapter he will spend just a little time in that headspace to see if it likes it. Then Jaskier and he will sit down and line out rules and boundaries. 
> 
> Be well!

Jaskier had a reputation for drama and he enforced it at every opportunity. He threw himself to his knees on the tiled floor and dragged his boyfriend into a rib-crushing hug. “God you had me so worried, you great big lummox!” Yennefer and Triss laughed at the theatrics, but Geralt hugged back. Jaskier’s fears weren’t exactly unfounded.

Geralt wasn’t terribly proud to admit it, but in the earlier days of his therapy sessions he’d more than once freaked out and drove away for hours, losing time and not answering his phone. Those days ended in a terrified Jaskier driving out to meet him, holding him, reminding him how to breathe as he ran lightly calloused fingers through Geralt’s hair. 

Jaskier rolled his eyes at their audience, running a quick hand through Geralt’s white hair to reassure the both of them, before sitting back and sliding out of his boyfriend’s lap. “Well when you find yourself a man this fine, you want to make sure you don’t lose him!” Jaskier informed Yennefer and Triss primly.

Feeling warmed by the half-joking words, Geralt slung an arm over Jaskier’s shoulders and dragged him closer. He nuzzled close, taking in the smell of wood and paint that Jaskier always carried with him. Today it seemed to be largely cedar wood shavings and the oddly chemical odor of paint cleaner. 

Jaskier had run an arts and crafts center with special programming for children and seniors.He did all kinds of projects and partnered with several charity organizations, working tirelessly and never lost his smile. Geralt honestly couldn’t have been more proud of Jaskier, and had told him more than once how important people like Jaskier were for kids like the kind Geralt had been. 

Maybe it really wasn’t such a stretch to imagine Jaskier as a caregiver. With that minor revelation in mind, they said their goodbyes to Yennefer and Triss and headed to their respective cars to drive home. 

Geralt’s brothers had laughed the first time they’d noticed the cars side by side in Geralt and Jaskier’s driveway. Geralt’s beloved black pick up truck next to Jaskier’s baby blue Punch Buggy complete with a built-in flower vase that naturally housed a plastic buttercup flower. They pulled in around the same time and shuffled into the house in companionable silence. 

It was a pleasant routine: the kicking off of shoes, hanging up of coats and depositing of keys in the respective person’s designated ‘safe spot’. Jaskier would then make his way to the downstairs bathroom to put on a load of his clothes that had been sweated in, paint flecked, or otherwise artistically stained while Geralt set the kettle to boil and rummaged around for potential dinner ingredients. 

They met back up in the kitchen, Jaskier humming a tune under his breath as he pulled out the mugs and tea bags, setting them on the counter beside Geralt, before settling into his usual chair at the kitchen table and turning expectant eyes to Geralt. Over the years, Jaskier had gotten much better at not pestering Geralt till he clammed up. Instead, he usual would wait him out while gazing meaningfully at his boyfriend. 

And even though Geralt sighed, he knew he owed an explanation. It had been almost a year since he last took off running after a therapy session and Jaskier had to find him. And he did feel bad about making him worry so much. There were probably a lot of ways to delicately bring up what was on his mind. But Geralt didn’t really do delicate. 

“Nenneke suggested I try age regression. Triss suggested you to help me,” he blurted out, pouring the water with slightly shaking hands into the mugs. He didn;t hear him move, but there were arms wrapping around his waist carefully, and the soft thunk of Jaskier resting his head between Geralt’s shoulder blades. 

“And how are you feeling about that?” he inquired softly, no judgement or laughter in his voice. Of course not,Geralt internally reprimanded himself. This was Jaskier. Jaskier who had ridden his bike in the middle of a hurricane to get to Geralt’s foster father’s house on Geralt’s birthday in order to present him with an enormous red velvet cupcake and a new copy of the Deltora Series book that a bully had ruined at lunch that day.

Also the Jaskier who had kicked said bully in the shins immediately after said book running, and still had the big black eye to prove it when he’d knocked on Vesemir’s door. 

“I...I think I want to try it. And if I am going to try it, I want you with me. As my caregiver,” Geralt whispered, fingers tightening on the handle of the now empty kettle. “But it also scares me.” Jaskier nodded, tightening his hold on Geralt. 

“You’ve got every right to be scared, it’s new and unfamiliar. I’m assuming Triss mentioned I had some experience with this, so I know what I am doing. But Ger, please know, I would never ever make you do something you don’t want to do. If you want, we can try something easy and small, maybe for an hour. If you like it, we can get into rules for us both when you want to regress, and all the details.” 

Tension bled out of Geralt at the sincerity and care in the words his boyfriend whispered into his shirt. He felt lighter, better. He raised his hands to cup them around Jaskier’s, squeezing in reply since the words he needed and wanted refused to come to him. 

“Okay. Let’s try. Maybe tomorrow?” he rumbled softly, releasing his hold on Jaskier’s hands and delivering their cooling tea to the table. Jaskier stared at him until they made eye contact, and Geralt could see the joy shining clearly in his eyes and the brilliant smile on his boyfriend’s face. “Tomorrow it is, my love.”


	3. Shopping for Comfort

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jaskier prepares to help Geralt try being little with a shopping trip.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello again! I promise we'll get to see Geralt in little headspace soon, but I wanted to show just how seriously Jaskier takes this responsibility with a nice short chapter.
> 
> This fic is a product of my desire to see Little Geralt and not finding alot of stories that showed a fluffy Little Geralt. And thus in true fic writer fashion ' if you can't find the fic you want, write it yourself'. 
> 
> Thank you again for your support.

Jaskier loved shopping. He was a devoted proponent of the use of retail therapy to solve any and all ills, and the organizational disaster that was his closet (and really, his room as a whole) reflected that clearly. But this shopping trip was special. Geralt was going to try being little.

Now, despite what Geralt would say, Jaskier was capable of self-restraint. He knew Geralt might not want to continue age regressing, and if he did the supplies they would need would vary greatly depending on Geralt’s preferences and general age he regressed to. 

Not to mention he wanted Geralt to get to have a say in his toys and clothes if this became a regular thing. So for now, Jaskier was going to start small. He’d gotten rid of all his little supplies after the nightmare that happened with Valdo, and frankly even if he hadn’t he still would want new things for his experience with Geralt. 

His amazing boyfriend deserved the best afterall.

And thus Jaskier found his way to the mall bright and early, filled with anticipation, determination, and three iced coffees. What? He didn’t do mornings for a reason. Anyways, to start he wanted clothes for Geralt. He had to make sure they weren’t too intensely cute or he’d scare his behemoth of a boyfriend off, but they needed to be soft and comfortable to help him sink back into that little head space. 

With focus to rival that of a surgeon mid-operation, he set about fondling all the sweatpants and pajama pants in the men’s section, with a tiny notepad and pencil to keep track of the best candidates. None of the mall employees seems surprised by this oddness, or any oddness really. Retail workers have seen things. 

He finally settled on a pair of pastel blue sweatpants with the softest fabric he could find, and then repeated the process with shirts. That was a far faster search once Jaskier found a soft long sleeved shirt with a large brown horse on the front. Geralt could never resist anything that reminded him of his beloved Roach. 

He acquired a pair of soft fuzzy socks to complete the look, hesitating at the underwear section. He didn’t want to push Geralt too much, but it might really help him separate from his adult self. After much hemming and hawing he found a three pack of adult underwear with dinosaurs printed all over. If he didn’t want to wear them, Jaskier wouldn’t force the issue. 

Happily he paid and shuffled along to the next store. This stop was for a tall sippy cup decorated with happy wolves running around the circumference of the cup, a plain pack of pacifiers, baby wipes, and a bib. They were mostly plain, again in deference to Geralt’s emotional skittishness. 

‘Almost done,’ he thought to himself cheerfully as he stopped for a fourth iced coffee, arms laden with bags. He paused to check his phone and texted Geralt. ‘Hiya lovebug, almost done shopping. Want me to pick up lunch on the way home?’ with a gif of a dancing puppy eating a sandwich. The reply was curt and fast. ‘No thanks. Have stuff at home.’ A pause and then Geralt added ‘Don’t call me lovebug. Come home soon.’

Laughing, Jaskier tossed his empty cup and wandered into the toy store. He would only get a few things no matter how badly he wanted to buy all kinds of games for his beloved boyfriend. He picked up a horse and farm animal coloring book and the biggest box of crayons he could find and a wolf stuffed animal. He was going to call it there when he noticed the section dedicated to knights and dragons. 

Jaskier was helpless to fight the pull and had to push his cart over there. In a moment of vulnerability, Geralt had admitted that as a little kid he’d dreamed of being a knight and protecting people. Even thinking about that night, camped out under the stars and buzzed on beer, brought on a feeling he could only compare to being wrapped in a blanket fresh from the dryer. 

He would blame the high of that memory for the fact that by the time he got to check out he had a plastic horse figurine, a plastic golden dragon figurine, two different sets of knight figurines, two sorceress figurines, a royal family (complete with a king, queen, princess, prince, and jester) set, and a plastic castle. The castle had a hollow back with printed furniture and decorations, as well as trap doors and ‘secret’ passages in the towers. 

Thankfully Jaskier had played a fair amount of Tetris, as those skills came heavily into play when it came time to cramp all his purchases into the back of his Bug. He shot a quick text to Geralt to let him know he was homeward bound and off he went. 

‘Please let this work,’ he couldn’t help but pray. ‘Please let this help Geralt, please let me have the chance to give him all the love and care he deserves.’

At home, Geralt was finishing up a deep clean of the house. Cleaning helped steady his nerves and he had plenty about today. He absolutely trusted Jaskier, but not only was the idea of age regression intimidating, but he also had little to no happy memories of his early childhood. He wasn’t exactly eager to go back, even if as Dr. Nenneke promised, it would be different this time.

“This is a chance to be young,carefree, and vulnerable again Geralt. And this time, you will get to nurturing and care you need. Someone to hold you, to protect you, to love you. There won’t be the pain and fear from before. It’s a chance to do it again, and have it done right this time,” the stern faced older woman had gently said last session.

“Don’t overthink it,” Yennefer had demanded yesterday. 

“I won’t ever make you do anything you don’t want to,” Jaskier had promised yesterday and all the days before. 

“Honeyyy I’m homeeee!” sang Jaskier as he all but kicked open the door, arms overly full of bags. It was hardly surprising, Jaskier did nothing by halves. He shuffled in, kicking the door closed behind him and stopping to kiss Geralt on the cheek before absconding to their room to ‘get ready’. 

Geralt shook his head with a fond sigh as he scooped up the sneakers Jaskier had wiggled off before dancing and singing his way into their room. Jaskier was consistent. Consistently loud, consistently dramatic, consistently over the top. And consistent in how much he loved Geralt, even when Gerlat made it difficult.

So Geralt decided he would trust the people who cared about him. He would try.


	4. Drifting Down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt finally slips into Little headspace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEW okay. Super nervous for this chapter. Geralt is finally trying out Little headspace. I was really scared since I didn't want anything to be totally off or weird or super unrealisitic. I re-worked it a few different times because I also worried ti felt repetitive. I hope it isn't. Please enjoy and let me know if there something you want to see. I live for you comments and kudos you amazing people.
> 
> ALSO: The lyrics to the lullaby are from Song of the Sea, which is super beautiful I definitely recommend listening to it on Youtube. I'll add a link to a lyrics video of it here for you to enjoy! Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5P2-9YY7qU
> 
> EDIT: There were some issues with the use of 'eskimo kisses' in this work. I apologize it was not my intent to be racist. I don't know what else to call that gesture. Therefore the phrase was removed and replaced with 'gentle kisses' for lack of a better term. It is meant to imply innocent kisses like from a parent to a child, not romantic kisses.

Jaskier came bustling back into the room sans his purchases, skipping over to kiss Geralt. He wrapped his arms around Geralt’s waist and let his head gently rest on his boyfriend’s chest. “I just want you to know, no matter what happens today, I am so very grateful you are giving me this opportunity. Even if we never do this again, you have made me so incredibly happy, my darling.” 

Geralt felt a blush color his face and warmth buzzed under his skin. Jaskier had always had a way of saying the right thing. “No pressure, just relaxing,” he mumbled as he returned Jaskier’s embrace. He could actually feel the younger man smile as it pressed against his grey Henley. 

“Okay my love. I bought some play clothes and laid them out for you on the bed. Do you want help changing or do you want that time to take a deep breath? No wrong answers,” Jaskier encouraged, taking a step back. “On my own,” Geralt said, hesitating, but Jaskier nodded happily and ran into the bedroom to grab some of the bags and drag them into the living room before giving Geralt’s butt and encouraging swat as the muscular man made his way down the hall and into their bedroom. 

Geralt closed the door and eyed the clothes on the bed. It wasn’t anything extreme, he noted thankfully. Just sweats, a shirt that had a horse like Roach on it, some thick socks, and the oddest thing being the dinosaur underwear. Even that wasn’t too bad though, clearly made for adults despite the pattern. 

He smiled a bit, knowing that his boyfriend had probably put an absurd amount of thought into each article of clothing and whatever surprises he had in those mystery bags. He wasn’t going to overthink this, he repeated to himself as he stripped out of his clothes and put them away. He slowly put each new item of clothing on, even the dinosaur underwear, savoring how soft everything was. 

He took a deep breath and opened the door, making his way to the living room again. Jaskier was curled up on the corner of the couch, the TV paused before the opening credits of a movie. “Come sit my dear. Would you like me to braid your hair?” he smiled sunnily. Shrugging, Geralt made his way over, settling on the plush carpet in front of the couch. Jaskier already had the comb and a thick scrunchie ready. 

“I thought we could watch a movie. I also made us some snacks!” Jaskier chirped, and Geralt noticed a plate of carrots, cherry tomatoes, and grapes. There were two cups on the coffee table, both with apple juice in them. One was tall and plastic with the image of running wolves, and he assumed it was his. 

Still smiling, Jaskier clapped his hands to dim the lights and pressed play on the movie. The opening titles for Lilo and Stitch filtered through the speakers. “I know you love this one, you hide how excited you are to watch it whenever Ciri comes over and picks it,” Jaskier explained, taking up the comb and gently began pulling it through Geralt’s silver blonde hair.He didn’t snag on the knots, or tug and pull and hurt Geralt’s scalp. It was bliss, and Geralt always counted Jaskier brushing his hair as one of his favorite indulgences. 

And maybe, just maybe, he had a soft spot for Lilo and Stitch. It hit close to home, a creature rejected and unwanted, viewed as a freak, who finds the one weird human who likes the creature’s oddness. Who feels rejected too, with a broken family. Their friendship and love healing the scars both carry. 

Geralt, who had been abandoned by his drug addicted mother at a young age, shuffled around foster homes before finding something permanent with Vesemir, who had struggled with aggression and destructive behaviors much like Sitch, couldn’t help but see himself and his strange lovely Jaskier in the characters. 

He let go, relaxed with a movie he loved and the soft caress of his boyfriend’s fingers weaving his hair with reverence. It was nice. Everything in that moment was nice, even the loose soft clothes and the crunch of cold raw carrots. 

He nearly spilled his drink trying to take a sip while more focused on humming along to the movie’s music. Jaskier simply produced a lid, almost out of thin air, and screwed it onto the wolf cup. “Just so you don’t spill,” he whispered, pressing a chaste kiss on Geralt’s cheek. Still more focused on the movie, Geralt nodded and didn’t dwell on the fact he was drinking out of a sippy cup. 

As the movie finished up, the snacks were all gone and Geralt was feeling pleasantly detached. He refused to be too introspective and tried to put all his energy into being solely in the moment. This was a good moment. Jaskier smiling at him so big and bright, sitting up and humming as he tossed out the empty plate and refilled Geralt’s juice. 

He raised the lights, but only slightly, and kneeled down beside Geralt with something clearly behind his back. “Alrighty handsome man, I have a few things we can do for fun now that the movie is done. But first, I got a friend for you. Would you like to meet them?” he inquired, his tone bright and encouraging without being patronizing. 

Geralt nodded, trying to peek around the bend of Jaskier’s shoulder but not willing to get off his comfortable position on the carpet. Before he had to decide if he should get up, Jaskier brought around his present, a lovely stuffed wolf. 

Gingerly, Geralt took the wolf into his hands. It had soft grey fur and big shining brown buttons for eyes. Even the tail was fluffy and tickled against his palms and wrists as he pet it. A soft smile curled across Geralt’s face, and Jaskier seemed to glow at his non-verbal approval. “Shall we give him a name?” Jaskier asked softly. 

“Snow,” Geralt whispered, hugging his new friend tightly and feeling warm and wonderful. He glanced up at Jaskier, looking to see what he thought about the name. Jaskier pet Geralt’s hair and pressed a kiss to Geralt’s forehead and then Snow’s. “What a wonderful name, Snow is a perfect name for my perfect boy’s wolf,” the blue eyed musician offered. 

Grinning, Geralt felt himself drop further into that floating headspace. His limbs felt heavier, but not unpleasantly so, and everything seemed better and softer here. “More fun?” he prompted, recalling that there were likely more activities. Jaskier laughed, happy and soft and not a all mocking or cold. It made Geralt feel even better. 

“You are so clever my little prince. I did mention there were more fun things to do. How about I show you them, and you can pick which one to do. If it is too hard to pick, I can help,” Jaskier offered, standing up and digging into the bags hidden behind the sofa. Geralt paused for a juice break and eyed Snow. An odd thought occurred to him, maybe Snow wanted juice. 

He pressed the sippy cup tip to Snow’s nose, and Jaskier grinned as he came back to him with his bags. “What a generous, kind, young man I see here,” Jaskier praised, sitting down across the coffee table from Geralt. The man in question revelled in the joy those words brought him. It was like a warm blanket fresh from the dryer, like a hug from Vesemir when he went home. 

Jaskier set a coloring book and a massive box of crayons on the table. Geralt felt his jaw drop a bit, he’d never seen a single box of crayons with THAT many colors before! And the images looked like horses, his favorite. This was going to be hard to beat. 

“On one hand we have coloring some lovely horsies, and on the other…” Jaskier trailed off, clearly excited. “Can you close your eyes for me, darling? Just for a moment?” Jaskier all but begged. Wanting more tingly words, Geralt immediately closed his eyes, hugging Snow close to his chest. There were some thunks, the crinkle of opening plastic, and a shove. 

“Thank you, my wonderful, sweet boy. You can open them now,” Jaskier cooed. Geralt’s eyes immediately flew open and this time his jaw dropped all the way down with a gasp. There was a castle on the table! An amazing castle, and in front of it a whole bunch of knights lined up in front of a royal family and two magic sorceresses. 

Jaskier turned the castle, confident he had Geralt’s attention, to show the castle was hollowed out. He pointed out trap doors and secret rooms, Geralt leaning forward and paying rapt attention. “This one!” he crowed, shuffling around the table to get closer. Jaskier settled the castle on the carpet, and helped Geralt collect all the figurines. 

Before he began to play though, Geralt tugged on Jaskier’s hand to encourage the other man to lean down. “Yes, sweetheart?” Jaskier asked calmly, seeming to check Geralt over for signs of distress or worry. But Geralt simply tugged again and pressed a sweet kiss to Jaskier’s cheek and whispered, “Thank you”. 

Without warning, Jaskier hugged Geralt tightly, and pressed gentle kisses all over the other man’s face, praising him with all the sweet compliments he knew, before settling on the couch to watch Geralt play. 

And play he did. Geralt had always loved stories with knights in them, and magic, and adventures. He wanted to be a knight too and help people. He created a story about how the princess wanted to be a knight like her best friend, but she had to do it secretly so her parents couldn’t stop her. 

The princess and her best friend secretly trained together and had a lot of fun saving dragons from dumb people who wanted to slay them and riding horses. Meanwhile the enemy kingdom had a mean sorceress who wanted to kidnap the princess. She sent the evil knights to go attack the kingdom, but they couldn’t find the princess because she was training with her best friend. 

The evil sorceress and evil knights took over the castle, named Kaer Morhen, and waited for the princess to return. Instead, she and her best friend rode to the home of another sorceress who lived in a cave (Jaskier’s slipper) to beg for her help. She was a healer and couldn’t use her magic to fight, but she agreed to train the princess and her friend so they could fight!

They rode back to the castle and used the secret rooms to sneak about and free the good knights. They sent all the evil knights down the trapdoor one by one into the dungeon! They were about to save her parents when the evil sorceress appeared and magically duelled the princess. 

The princess was about to win! But then the evil sorceress shot lightning at her best friend. Everything seemed lost until the good sorceress arrived and healed her friend and helped the princess defeat the evil sorceress, who was actually the good sorceress’s sister!

The kingdom rejoiced and the king let his daughter continue to learn to be a knight, learn magic, AND be a princess. Geralt grinned happily,, resting his head against Snow. His head felt heavy, and he was so very tired. 

Jaskier was suddenly next to him, tugging Geralt and Snow into his arms and carrying him off to their bedroom. People wouldn’t guess how strong Jaskier was since he was of a narrow build, but he worked out regularly and had to lift heavy loads for work. Not to mention his music gigs at bars and all the heavy equipment his band needed to put on stage. So Geralt and Snow were easily carried into the bedroom and placed onto the sheets, drifting still in that happy place. 

Without realizing he’d begun to mouth a bit at Snow’s ear. Jaskier dug in his pocket and produced a pacifier, gently slipping it into Geralt’s mouth as he began to softly sing a lullaby. He made sure Geralt still had a good grip on Snow as he tucked the blankets in around Geralt, carding fingers through hair loose at the top of his head and not part of his braid. 

“Hush now, mo stóirín  
Close your eyes and sleep  
Waltzing the waves  
Diving in the deep  
Stars are shining bright  
The wind is on the rise  
Whispering words  
Of long lost lullabies  
Oh won't you come with me  
Where the moon is made of gold  
And in the morning sun  
We'll be sailing  
Oh won't you come with me  
Where the ocean meets the sky  
And as the clouds roll by  
We'll sing the song of the sea  
I had a dream last night  
And heard the sweetest sound  
I saw a great white light  
And dancers in the round  
Castles in the sand  
Cradles in the trees  
Don't cry, I'll see you by and by…”

Geralt gave into the heaviness of his head, and how tried he felt as his eyes slipped closed and he drifted to sleep feeling warm and secure. Feeling...protected. And when he woke, Jaskier was still there.


	5. Talking to Dr. Nenneke

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt's therapy appointment with Dr. Nenneke ad reflecting on his age regression.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! This chapter is Geralt having a therapy session with Dr. Nenneke and reflecting on how he feels about his age regression sessions and realtionship with both his birth mother and Jaskier. A little heads up, he describes rough parts of his childhood with his mother as a comparison to how Jaskier acts as a caregiver. We also see the rules they create for each other for when they have age regression sessions. 
> 
> Next chapter shall feature Geralt getting to experience bath time and getting put to bed at night.There will be bath bombs, bath toys, and footie pajamas. 
> 
> Thank you all to my amazing readers and you absolute rockstars who leave comments. You feed my soul you wonderful people!

“So, how did it go?” Dr. Nenneke asked almost smugly when Geralt arrived at her office for their next session. Geralt fidgeted a bit in the almost annoyingly comfortable chair he liked to wedge into a corner beside an impressive oak bookcase. Was there some physical mark on him that gave away that he’d tried her suggestion? A tattoo across his forehead that read something like ‘I used a sippy cup recently’ and was invisible only to Geralt himself?

When he asked the doctor as much, she snorted and laughed at him with her dark eyes twinkling. “No dear, you look more relaxed, less tension in your shoulders. Does that mean you tried age regression with Jaskier?” she inquired calmly. 

Geralt began to answer but stopped, brow furrowed. “Wait how did you know I asked Jaskier to be my caregiver person thingy?” he muttered, arms folding in front of his chest. Dr. Nenneke arched a brow at his defensive gesture and he dropped his arms again with a sigh. “Because my dear, he is the person you are most vulnerable with. You trust him implicitly. He seemed to me to be the obvious choice though I wanted to let you discern that for yourself, and I am happy to see you did,” she admitted with a genuine smile, and Geralt felt himself relax at her obvious approval. 

Yennefer had been right, he liked Dr. Nenneke because she really cared and worked hard to understand him. She didn’t let Geralt do the bare minimum as far as ‘emotional work’ went. It was funny, he mused, that those seemed to be qualities Jaskier had as well. 

“Jaskier had some experience with being a caregiver. I didn’t know, but apparently it was when I was being an awful friend to him and trying to force a relationship to work with Yennefer,” Geralt began. Dr. Nenneke nodded sagely, adding “Yes, you were a very shitty friend back then. But you’ve grown and changed for the better.” 

Geralt rolled his eyes at the doctor but couldn’t help a slight smile from curling his lips upward. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, he was really happy about it. He went out and bought me all this...stuff. The kind of stuff I never had as a kid, but had secretly always wanted. These soft nice clothes, a stuffed animal, coloring books and crayons, even a big play castle with all these little knights and princess figurines.” 

In his mind, Geralt couldn’t help but compare his actual childhood in shitty rundown apartments and motel rooms, left alone or stuck with his drug addicted mother’s equally dirty and drug addicted friends. It was always too loud or too quiet, no toys to be seen, no kids shows on tv. He had been hungry most days, and slept fitfully. They moved often, never to anywhere better. 

Then there was Jaskier carefully picking soft new clothes for him, buying him toys, feeding him healthy snacks and letting him watch his favorite Disney movie. Carrying him to bed, singing to him as he fell asleep. Braiding his hair. The two experiences couldn’t have been more different, and he knew who he preferred as a caregiver. 

“He took care of me, loved me like a parent is supposed to love their child. I was safe, I was happy. He was still there when I woke up. We talked about it afterwards. I said I want to keep trying this, and we could try different things to help me. Jaskier has been trying to ease me into things. We’ve only done it maybe twice. I freaked out afterwards once afterwards, got really down on myself.” 

Dr. Nenneke nodded, clearly unsurprised that Geralt’s exploration had been seamless. “And what did Jaskier do when you ‘freaked out’?” she inquired gently. Geralt felt another small smile slip over his face. “He did one of his ‘octopus hugs’ and kissed all over my face telling me how much he loves me. He told me that being my caregiver made him feel important and let him give me all the love he’d wanted to for all the years we’ve been friends. Even made a point to say freaking out was normal and he loved me for sharing my fears.”

He could remember being literally smothered with Jaskier’s acceptance and love as they laid in bed. Geralt had been engaging in what Dr. Nenneke referred to as ‘negative self talk’, pulling at his hair, complaining that he shouldn’t need this, that he was a grown ass man. 

Jaskier had loved him back from the brink. Again. 

“He’s good for you, that boy. And it sounds like you’re good for them.”

Geralt smiled and nodded, lost in a moment of happiness at how his life was going at this exact moment in time. “Yeah. It’s good. We are gonna try again, later today after this appointment. We’re gonna try something new. You know I didn’t really get baths from my mother and Vesemir only had a shower stall. So we’re gonna try a bath and a night time routine thing. A bit of ...you know...playing. And like….a story. And stuff like that.”

Dr. Nenneke took a quick note of this and continued to give him a smile and encouraging nod. “It’s good to expand on this, to try new things. But I also wanted to ask, what were these rules you mentioned coming up with?”

Geralt fumbled in his pocket and passed over a crumpled piece of notebook paper over to the doctor. “We’ve got a cleaner list back home, I copied the rules down to show you. And well...Jaskier figured maybe you should have a copy and I agreed.”   
Dr. Nenneke smoothed it out on her clipboard, the sleeves of her red pantsuit dragging against the wood. She seemed to like wearing red, Geralt had noticed, with her dark grey hair pinned back behind her head in a low bun. Carefully she read out the list of rules that Geralt and Jaskier had established for when Geralt regressed. 

Rules for Geralt: 

1.) I will listen when Jaskier asks me to do something.

2.) I will use my manners - say please and thank you.

3.) If I need something, I will ask for it with my words. 

4.) I will tell Jaskier if I feel bad. 

5.) I will clean up after myself.

6.) I will be kind to myself and to Jaskier.

7.) I will not swear or say bad words.

8.) I will take care of my belongings.

9.) If I break the rules punishments will include time outs in the corner, no desserts, no tv time, no sugary drinks, etc. There will never ever ever be physical punishments. 

10.) If Jaskier does give a punishment, then after it is done I am forgiven. I am not bad just because I made a mistake. 

“It seems like you two put a lot of thought into this. Does Jaskier have rules as well,” the doctor inquired. Geralt made a flipping motion with his hand and it was only then Dr. Nenneke noticed writing on the back of the page. “Ah! I see!” she remarked, reading the second list out loud as well. 

Rules for Jaskier: 

1.) I will take care of my needs as well as Geralt’s. 

2.) If Geralt is eating, I will eat too. 

3.) I will be kind to myself and to Geralt. 

4.) I will take naps after Geralt is big again - even if it is just a quick one. 

5.) I will praise Geralt often because he needs that. 

6.) I am allowed to use cute nicknames with Geralt - prince, darling, dearest, dearheart, sweetheart, etc.

7.) I will ask Geralt to use his words, but if he can’t then we will use physical cues and signs. Example - kiss on the cheek for thank you/ I love you, gentle tug on hand for help, hands on ears for needing quiet, hand on mouth for hungry/thirsty, climbing onto Jaskier’s lap to be hugged/held, nodding yes or shaking head no, others to be added later. 

8.) I will not feel bad if I have to give Geralt a punishment because he broke the rules. I will stick to the punishments we agreed upon, but I am not going to feel bad for doing what we agreed on. 

9.) If I feel bad, I will talk to Geralt about it when he’s big again. 

10.) I will not curse in front of Geralt, and I will try not to yell.

Dr. Nenneke gave Geralt a reassuring smile as she clipped the list to her board. “I can see there was a lot of communicating and being honest to make these lists. I am so proud Geralt. You would never have given me a list like this or tried something like age regression when we started meeting.You’ve worked hard, and you should feel proud of yourself.”

She eyed the list for a moment before continuing, “I am glad you agreed to letting me see this and keep a copy. It will make future discussions about this easier if we both know what expectations you two set together. And these are only for when you are age regressing?” 

Geralt shrugged. “For the most part yeah. We’re both working on taking better care of ourselves and ditching the negative self talk. But that’s not a rule, just something we’re working on. So yeah I guess the rules are just for then.” 

It was another nice aspect, that this was helping Jaskier as much as it helped Geralt, even if it was in different ways. Jaskier had seemed even happier than usual, humming around the house, smiling even after a rude customer at the craft shop. 

“Good work Geralt, we’ll wrap up for today. But it is normal to struggle a bit and have these ‘drops’ afterwards, but I encourage you to let yourself be yourself. Accept this love and care, and don’t be afraid to give it back to the ones you care for as well. But I like what I am seeing and hearing, Geralt. I hope you are too,” Dr. Nenneke encouraged her (secretly favorite) patient. 

Geralt passed over a check, shook her hand (for an older woman she had a handshake like a steel trap), and fighting a grin he made his way out of the nondescript brick building and back home. Jaskier had suggested soup since there had been a chill to the air lately. After teaching a beginners knitting class, he’d run to the store and bought all the ingredients to make his New England Clam Chowder, promising to have it ready when Geralt made it home. Usually his appointments with Dr. Nenneke were earlier in the afternoon on Sundays, but he’d had to push it later since Vesemir had called in all three of his foster sons to help him fix up the barn doors. 

He was looking forward to more than the soup though (and it was absolutely delicious soup, really it was). He was actually excited for this new experience of age regressing and going to bed regressed. It had actually been his idea to try, as both he and Jaskier suffered from insomnia but were often tired after a session.

Jaskier had smuggled a plastic bag into the bathroom and hidden it under the sink the other day, no doubt with bath toys and what not for today’s session. Gods, he loved that man, Geralt thought with a smile and warmth that rippled gently across all his nerve endings. It was going to be a good evening, less nervous than ever before.


	6. Bath Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geralt gets a bath and gets tucked in. Tis all soft.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry everyone. Anxiety kicked my butt really bad, but I am back and I tried to bring the fluff. All the fluff. 
> 
> Be safe everyone, and be kind to yourself.

A rumble of a car pulling into the driveway pulled Jaskier from his musings. He was keeping the soup he’d made for dinner simmering on a low heat while he waited for Geralt to get home from therapy. Tonight was a big step for them, and he’d been distracted with thoughts and plans for the evening. Geralt had actually made a specific request for their time together, asking for a bath and to be put to bed in his regressed state.

Geralt had opened up a bit about his difficult childhood devoid of any luxury or real care by his birth mother. He’d shared that he never really got to have a nice bath, he’d had to learn to shower in sketchy motels or stray hoses as he and his addicted mother shuffled from seedy place to seedy place. He had similarly never really been safe enough to enjoy a peaceful night sleep as a child. Tonight they’d make a step towards create both positive experiences for Geralt.

Jaskier had scrubbed their bathroom to the stone and back again till everything sparkled and even the grout had never seen so much bleach. He’d also cleaned and dried a pair of dinosaur underwear and new soft forest green footie pajamas, laying them on their bed next to Snow. The stuffie was settled against their freshly washed pillows and blanket. Jaskier had also knit a special present for the occasion, an incredibly soft and warm baby’s blanket adjusted for Geralt’s size. He tucked it under the pillows to keep it a surprise.

The blanket was soft green like the forests Geralt loved to ride Roach through or hike and camp in with his family. It had garter stitching for texture (Geralt loved texture when he got overwhelmed) and had taken more than a few hours to call into being, particularly since he could only work on it when Geralt wasn’t around. But it would certain help Geralt get that feeling of warmth, safety, and protection, which was the goal of all of this anyway.

Jaskier was quite proud of all his hard work. He’d squirreled away a pacifier on the nightstand, and snuck all kinds of goodies under the sink in their shared bathroom. Well, the adorable new fluffy towel with a cute little hood with puppy ears had to be taken out so it could be washed and hung on the back of the door. 

Jaskier turned and accepted a kiss from Geralt as his partner came in and set aside his keys, coat, and boots. He wrapped Jaskier in a hug from behind, making a wordless happy grunt at the smell of Jaskier’s special New England Clam Chowder fill the air. Without another word, Geralt detangled himself to set the table. He put out the bowls and spoons along with the napkins and the plate of oyster crackers Jaskier had prepared. He poured water for them both, normally he might indulge in a beer but another rule they’d made is no drinking on nights when they planned for Geralt to be little.

Jaskier didn’t ask about therapy, he knew Geralt would share if he wanted to and could get prickly if asked about it and he wasn’t ready to share. He also knew Geralt sometimes needed more time to process important or emotion-based ideas. Geralt waited till their bowls were full, and then mentioned how happy Dr. Nenneke was with him and his progress.

Jaskier grinned, expressing his own pride in Geralt, before beginning to discuss a rowdy class of senior citizens who had taken a wine and paint class, as well as a group of little kids who’d finished the last session of a clay sculpting class he’d been hosting. He’d begun to advertise his new round of glass blowing classes as well, and was adding an extra session to his wood spoon carving classes due to popularity. 

“And! When breast cancer awareness month kicks off I’m partnering with the hospital for this project Essi brought up where people crochet inserts for people who’ve had to have mastectomies. Prissy’s got a therapy group of kids who have family members with cancer who she think s could really benefit from confronting cancer in a helpful way, so I’m going to be crocheting breasts to get the pattern down pat. Don’t be surprised if you start finding yarn titties around the house!” 

Geralt cleaned the last of his soup with a cracker and arched an eyebrow, “I will beware the yarn titties,” he remarked dryly. He did love listening to his partner talk, and the enthusiasm Jaskier had for his job and the opportunities it gave him to help others. He was not necessarily looking forward to finding yarn breasts in random places throughout their home, but it would be worth it to see Jaskier proudly instructing Priscella’s therapy group.

Jaskier had cooked, so Geralt did the dishes. The repetitive motion relaxed him, with the added benefit of giving Jaskier time to start running the bath. When he was done with the dishes, Geralt went into their bedroom and settled on the bed. He could hear Jaskier humming as he set everything up. Geralt noticed Snow already waiting, and took the soft stuffie into his arms. He cuddled Snow close, rubbing his cheek on the gentle fur of his face and ears. The room’s lights had been dimmed and the heat was up. “Why don’t you tell Snow what we are going to do tonight?” Jaskier suggested gently. Interacting with Snow had proven to be a good way to help Geralt drop into his littler headspace.

Geralt nodded and laid against the pillows, cuddling close to Snow. “Tonight, we’re gonna have a bath,” Geralt murmured into his friend’s ear. He smiled at the feeling of safety that settled over him like a blanket as the world began to get a bit fuzzy and silly at the edges. “Jask is gonna give us a bath, and he’s gonna dry me off and braid my hair.” Geralt loved when Jaskier combed through and braided his hair. The comforting feeling of gentle fingers passing through his white locks, the physical proof he was cared for that he saw in the mirror.

Geralt fell a bit further, feeling smaller and smaller in the best way. “Then, then, I get to wear special pjs. New ones. And Jask has a surprise! Then he’s gonna tell me a story, and you and me get to sleep in bed all warm and cuddled next to Jask!”

Happy in his little headspace, Geralt almost didn’t notice Jaskier coming back into the room, sleeves rolled to his elbows. “Alright my handsome young prince, it’s time for your bath! Let me help you get out of your dirty clothes!” 

Geralt tucked Snow in under the comforter and shimmeyed to the edge of the bed. Jaskier gently helped Geralt out of his clothes, letting Geralt put them in the laundry basket all by himself, before guiding Geralt into the snow steamy bathroom and shutting the door behind them. 

Jaskier stuck his arm into the water to check the temperature before inviting Geralt to check for himself. “It’s perfect!” Geralt cheered, ready to get in before Jaskier stopped him. “Not yet sweetpea! First…” Jaskier opened a plastic bag he’d taken from under the sink and set by the tub, unearthing a powdery ball. It was a dark blue with stripes of pink and yellow around it. Jaskier plopped it into Geralt’s hands and encouraged him to drop it into the bath water. He did, stepping back to take Jaskier’s hand. 

“Woah!” came Geralt’s exclamation of wonder, he bounced lightly on his feet as the bath bomb spun about and turned the bathwater beautiful shades of rainbow colors. Jaskier smiled, delighted by the child-llike joy the bath bomb brought about in his partner. “Now, in you go!” he cheered, very careful in helping Geralt settle in the warm water. 

“And! How about a few friends for the bath!” the artist offered, scooping several toys out of his bag of goodies. Geralt’s eyes widened at the collection of new toys. Jaskier held out a plastic toy boat, a couple of squishy fish that could shoot water, a larger rubber duck and a few small ones, and a plastic fishing rod and open mouthed sea creatures to catch on it. 

“Thank you, Jask!” Geralt murmured in hushed awe, prompting a laugh and his hair being toustled by his caregiver. “Of course sweetpea. Go on and play a bit, then we’ll wash your hair!”

Geralt captained his mighty ship The Destiny through the most dangerous of monster-invested seas, bravely saving the clan of Rubber Ducky from the dreaded seahorse horde! He narrowly avoided the sudden ambush by the wicked octopus! And when he’d safely delivered the baby rubber ducks to their Dad, Grandmaster Rubber E. Duck, the last leader of the Clan. 

He decided to relax after his rewarding career as a captain and explore the joys of fishing. His dad Vesemir loved fishing, so Geralt decided to catch the most fish ever to show he learned well from his adopted dad. Surely Jask would be proud!

“My goodness! Look at you! I have never seen so many fish in my life!” Jaskier crowed, clapping. He retrieved a cup from his bag and allowed Geralt to continue fishing the great depths of the sparkly ocean of stars as he turned the tap on long enough to fill the cup with warm water and gently wet Geralt’s long hair, one cupped hand pressed to Geralt’s hairline to prevent the dear boy’s eyes and face from getting wet. 

Then came the massaging of No Tears Strawberry shampoo, and Geralt hummed at the wonderful dual sources of comfort that were Jaskier’s soft wordless singing and his calloused hands rubbing Geralt’s scalp. This was the best feeling, he felt so loved, so cared for. It was as if Jaskier had made the air itself into a blanket. 

After the shampoo and more warm water to rinse came the No Tears conditioner - also strawberry scented. Geralt loved strawberries, Vesemir had taken his adopted sons strawberry picking once a year since he first brought them into his house. 

The water started to go cold, so a reluctant Geralt let Jaskier rinse him off, smile restored at the sight of the puppy-hooded towel. He giggled as Jaskier tugged the hood over Geralt’s wet hair. He drained the tub, saving most of the clean up for later, and bustled Geralt into the bedroom. He had Geralt set his hands on his shoulders and step into the dinosaur underwear and then the bottoms of the footie pajamas. 

Geralt shimmeyed into the pjs and let Jaskier button up the snaps and settle him onto the bed, the covers downturned. Geralt snagged hold of Snow and cuddled his face close, overwhelmed with the peace he felt zinging all over his body. Jaskier settled behind his dear boy and Snow and began to sing again as he combed and fishtail braided the snow white hair before him. 

“I made you something, darling. Want to reach under your pillow and find it?” Jaskier encouraged, setting the comb down on the nightstand. Geralt turned, curious , and dug his fingers under the soft freshly laundered pillows. He hit something terribly soft and lovely, and unearthed the large textured baby blanket in a wonderful shade of forest green. 

Geralt let out a squeak of delight, unfolding it in a clumsy attempt at care and immediately tucked himself into it. “For me, Jask?” he whispered, eyes wide. “Only for you, I made it special for my favorite sweet one. Want to be a burrito?” Geralt chirped his delight as Jaskier laid out the blanket, helping Geralt settle by the edge and playfully rolled him up. “Yum yum yum! My most delicious Geralt burrito!” Jaskier cheerfully sang. Geralt giggled the entire time, arms still tight around Snow. 

He tickled Geralt’s tummy through the blanket and pretended to eat him up, prompting louder laughter and kicking. He settled Geralt under the covers, sliding in next to him and his beloved Snow, before gingerly pressing the pacifier into Geralt’s mouth. “I found this for you,” Jaskier murmured, pulling out an old storybook from the nightstand drawer. 

“The Four Sisters Gallant,” Jaskier began, looping an arm around Geralt and letting him snuggle close as he opened the cover. Geralt’s eyes were already starting to close. He hummed with the feeling of having never been safer, more loved, more at peace.


End file.
